The present invention relates, in general, to liquid aeration devices and more particularly to an add-on or accessory liquid aeration device for use with a tank of liquid having an existing liquid source or inlet port below the surface of the liquid and supplying a steady or sporadic flow of liquid into the tank.
Aeration and bubble massage devices are known and are gaining a new popularity through the growth of membership in and numbers of health clubs as well as through the increase in the number of households with private whirlpools or spas. Nonetheless, a considerable number of swimming pools, whirlpools, hot tubs, and bathtubs have little or no capability for aeration of the water. It would be advantageous to aerate the water in these tanks in order to purify the water and help impart an attractive blue color to the water. While the tank or pool may already be equipped with a filtration system, the use of aeration reduces the amount of chlorine needed since the tendency for the growth of undesirable bacteria and algae is greatly reduced. Also, if the aeration occurs at a sufficiently vigorous pace, a pleasant bubble massage will be available to the occupant.
Use of a similar aerator in aquarium tanks or artificial fishponds is even more desirable for its purifying properties, since the alternative, chlorine, is poisonous to aquatic life. Furthermore, since the fish within the aquarium or pond breath oxygen from the water and since the amount of oxygen dissolved in the water is otherwise limited by the surface area at the top of the aquarium or pond, vigorous aeration of the water allows a wider variety in and quantity of aquatic life to be maintained in a healthful condition in the tank.
Traditional methods for aeration of tanks, particularly those for aquatic life, include the use of an electric air pump forcing air along a tube into the tank. An alternative method, using the power of the water from an external faucet has been particularly popular for use with bathtubs. Invariably, the add-on or accessory devices of this second type, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,982,258; 1,982,259; 2,668,299; 2,799,866; 3,541,616 and 3,587,976 are elaborate devices for coupling to the external source of water, some doing permanent harm to the tank or faucet, and others making it difficult to use the faucet normally.
Most current swimming pools, whirlpools baths, hot tubs, and spas, as well as many older bathtubs and a few aquariums and artificial fish ponds, have a submerged water source, such as a nozzle supplying fresh or recycled and cleansed water to the tank in a constant or sporadic stream. Such a water source allows use of far less permanent, intricate and expensive devices as well as permitting use of a far more attractive device, particularly since there is less need to be concerned about leaks.
What is needed, therefore, is a simplified and light-weight water aeration apparatus which may be removably added to a tank or pool with an existing water inlet source below the surface of the water.